[Drama 2021] Human Disqualification/ Lost, 인간실격

[africandramalover]

2 hours ago, the_sweetroad said:

And the trio of A Ran, her husband, and the young actress is even more meaty than Gang Jae, Just, and Min Jung. It disgusts me that A Ran and her husband (and the younger actress) lie and cover up her husband's violence! You would think that after getting beaten up herself that A Ran would try to protect the young actress. It's weird that her husband and the actress are having an affair so openly, too....there's no thought of hiding it from A Ran. It's bizarro-world. And the young actress suffers for it.

 

That scene at the hospital was extremely disturbing. I almost missed it, watching A Ran on the phone, casually talking to the reporter (I think). As that scene ends I saw abuser husband harrass the young actress in the background and I was SHOCKED!! Wth did I just see??!!

 

I replayed the scene like 5 times to confirm what I was seeing there. As A Ran talks on the phone, young actress and abuser fight on the bed in the scene background. Actress pushes the abuser away from her. He keeps hugging her, seemingly remorseful for breaking her ribs and basically demolishing her. Classic abuser. A Ran continues on the phone, unmoved, not noticing what's happening in the same room. It's like background noise.

 

I was truly disturbed.

 

That was an extremely sick, extremely disturbing, extremely amazing scene.

 

The only other time I've seen such a scene was in "I May Destroy You"(I think) where some high school bullies fight in the background of a scene while the main characters talk in the foreground. Those girls were rough!!

 

Abusive relationships are horrible! It seems the actor husband used to beat A Ran even when she was in hospital. She's like an accomplice at this point, helping her husband actively and passively to continue the abuse.

 

I absolutely loved that abuser scene. And the kiss scene, obviously.

[chickfactor]

The acting on this show is top-notch all the way, but I want to give a special shout-out to the actress playing A-Ran. She often seems to play these types of stone cold B characters and she is always so good at it. On this show, it's like she's taken that to the next level.

[Latte_Anyday]

@the_sweetroad

It's more than the dark brows LoL. It is the way his entire face is shaped(?) Because the camera pans so slowly.. well, this drama moves at a sloth pace. It's hard not to notice it even more LoL!

    I suspect it's leaning more toward jealousy.. but drama is still keeping his character under a shroud of mystery so... I just don't like him regardless LoL.

    Yeah that co-worker of Jung Soo's was spot on ha-ha! And it's interesting the other kinds of services Gang Jae provides. Just goes to show that keeping appearances matter a lot. Especially so in South Korea. Wonder if such services were provided in my country ha-ha.

    I think your fixation on Ah Ran, the mistress and trashy hubs is equal to mine with Jong Hoon's weird face! @the_sweetroad With the recent scandal surrounding Kim Seon Ho.. I won't be surprised that the whole Ah Ran plot is based on a true K-celeb marriage ...

    I am still unclear on the whole Jung Woo suicide(?) I think it's obvious he bonded with her over his son. But her and Gang Jae hmm LoL. Well he has an interesting gift of gab I'll give hiim that LoL.

 

[sweetroad]

On 10/18/2021 at 5:39 PM, africandramalover said:

I was truly disturbed.

 

That was an extremely sick, extremely disturbing, extremely amazing scene.

 

Agreed!

 

13 hours ago, Latte_Anyday said:

I think your fixation on Ah Ran, the mistress and trashy hubs is equal to mine with Jong Hoon's weird face!

 

Haha, now that you say that, I am fixated on this trio! Their situation and their dynamics are baffling to me! How are all three of them OK with it?! But there I go again....

 

13 hours ago, Latte_Anyday said:

I am still unclear on the whole Jung Woo suicide(?) I think it's obvious he bonded with her over his son.

 

Agreed...This is one drama where I wish they would show more flashbacks. Seems like there are some key characters - Jung Woo, Jong Hoon (the nightclub guy), etc. but we don't know why they behave(d) they way they do(did).

 

[chickfactor]

9 hours ago, the_sweetroad said:

 

Haha, now that you say that, I am fixated on this trio! Their situation and their dynamics are baffling to me! How are all three of them OK with it?! But there I go again....

 

 

Ah-Ran, the mistress, and the trashy hubs... 

 

But he's not just trashy, he's an effing monster.

 

This is such an amazing depiction of stockholm syndrome, battered-spouse syndrome, and whatever other insane dynamic is going on. No wonder Ah-Ran wants Bu-Jeong dead. She knows so much.

 

I loved Bu-Jeong's killer stare at Ah-Ran who kept trying to intimidate her into shutting up.

[sweetroad]

1 hour ago, chickfactor said:

This is such an amazing depiction of stockholm syndrome, battered-spouse syndrome, and whatever other insane dynamic is going on. No wonder Ah-Ran wants Bu-Jeong dead. She knows so much.

 

You're right! Lots of complicated abuser/abusee dynamics going on, and A Ran's fear that BJ will expose even more than she has. Now I'm sorry that there are only 2 episodes left to resolve all this.

[larus]

Human Disqualification: Episode 13

by quirkycase

 

Everyone has hidden scars and fears that drive them. Sometimes, that pain blinds you to the pain of those around you, and sometimes, it brings the pain of others into sharper focus. Several of our characters face aspects of their pasts and presents that have come to define them, for good or bad, and recognize that they aren’t the only ones struggling.

 

EPISODE 13: “Strangers”

As Woo-nam prepares for his shift, he ignores a call from his ex-wife and changes her name from “Pretty Wife” to Kang Ji-yeon. He learns from one of his colleagues that Kyung-eun’s husband died the night prior. Kyung-eun wasn’t there when he passed.

She visited faithfully every day for the two years he was at their hospital, but she happened to be home sick the night he died. Woo-nam and the nurse recall how Kyung-eun lovingly took care of her husband and would often stay past visiting hours in the lobby looking drained.

 

At the funeral, Kyung-eun frustratedly listens to her mother’s callous comments and nagging. She berates Kyung-eun for not wearing makeup and generally wasting her beauty with her “mediocre life.” Her mother’s composure slips, and she begins to cry.

Elsewhere, Min-ja looks for Chang-sook while holding the boxes he left behind. She finally spots him in an alley and asks him to eat lunch with her. As they eat, Min-ja shares that she had four miscarriages before having Jung-soo.

 

 

Min-ja sometimes is startled by how much Jung-soo looks like his father. After her husband died in an accident when Jung-soo was little, she didn’t know what to do. She and little Jung-soo left her in-laws’ house with nothing and ran away to Seoul.

 

She never told Jung-soo about all the types of work she did then like cleaning, babysitting, and food delivery. Min-ja even sold her own golden-crowned teeth. Her husband had secretly saved up to pay for them for her – his family wouldn’t have approved, apparently. Selling them made her even happier than getting them in the first place.

 

more https://www.dramabeans.com/2021/10/human-disqualification-episode-13/

 

 

 

[larus]

Human Disqualification: Episode 14

by quirkycase

 

ur stand-in finds himself daring to hope for once and letting his heart guide him. He spends much of the episode incessantly checking his phone, hoping to hear from a certain ex-writer. But she’s a little distracted after again becoming embroiled with her least favorite person on planet earth.

EPISODE 14: “Human disqualification”

 

 

Right after Bu-jung reads the text about the plagiarism issue, she looks up to see Ah-ran staring at her in surprise. Ah-ran sends her team into the room first and looks like she has something to say to Bu-jung, but she doesn’t get the chance.

Jin-seob comes out of Ji-na’s room and says a quiet “I’m sorry” as he passes Ah-ran. Then, Bu-jung’s boss comes out and says she’s postponed her next appointment so she can help Bu-jung. Ah-ran quietly walks past Bu-jung and heads into Ji-na’s room.

 

While Jong-hoon wanders around Kang-jae’s apartment, Min-jung hides in the bathroom and tries to get ahold of Kang-jae, but he’s not answering his phone. She then tries calling Ddak-yi (who for some reason has a broken leg … when did that happen?), but he’s busy taking the civil service exam.

Jong-hoon gets photos of Ah-ran and Jin-seob at the hospital and sends Manager Ahn to keep an eye on the situation. He then snoops around Kang-jae’s and finds the box of Jung-woo’s things. He opens the envelope with Bu-jung’s materials and sees the photo of her with Hee-sun and Min-soo, along with her suicide letter.

 

Meanwhile, Kang-jae drops off the cleared-out desk contents with his client’s father and collects his fee. The father looks exhausted and asks what his daughter’s coworkers were like. Kang-jae replies they were just your average office workers.

The client’s father knows the hardships of working in an unappreciative office, but he supposes it’s harder when you’re mentally ill. His daughter went from loving her job to hating it, and now her life is empty.Kang-jae sees the missed calls and texts from Min-jung, but he doesn’t reply. Instead, he opens his chat with Bu-jung and begins writing a message. “Thanks to you, I feel like I’ve become a better person. With that cheerful heart, I returned home safely. How have you been?”

 

 

u-jung puts on her uniform and as she tucks her hair behind her ear, she’s reminded of Kang-jae that night in the tent. While she prepares for her job, Kang-jae narrates that the thought of seeing her again in Seoul and validating their feelings makes him excited and terrified.

“Is this reality, or am I in a fantasy and unable to return to reality?” Kang-jae isn’t sure, but he wants to trust his feelings. He erases the long text and instead sends a simple message saying he got home safely. Although he writes she doesn’t need to reply, Kang-jae doesn’t mean it. He smiles and wonders if she’s doing well.

 

more https://www.dramabeans.com/2021/10/human-disqualification-episode-14/

 

[backstreetboysfan]

I hope these two(the leads) will have a happy ending tomorrow.

[LeftCoastOppa]

Episode 15 -

 

Kang-jae's monologue over the flash back montage was achingly good - I just wished more time in the episode was focused on our leads.

 

Well, we knew going in that the surveillance photos would eventually come up and while I thought that would be the standard Ep 15 break up before make up, it looks like thats going to be in Episode 16.

 

Please,please, please let this end on a positive note - I don't care that their futures may be uncertain, just let it end with them facing it together - JAEBAL!

[Latte_Anyday]

How dare Ah Ran say she find Bu Jung repulsive!? Does she even look at herself in the mirror?! Pot calling the Kettle black I say! And to think the woman she despises saved her from her trashy good-for-nothing hubs. Why are those two still married!? 

    Is Min Jung tryin' to break into showbiz again..?? I laughed when Woo Nam and Soon Joo made fun of Soon Joo's sis's potato dish ha-ha.

    I was disappointed with Bu Jung in ep. 15.. she could tell her phone was ringing but did she ignore it or she genuinely didn't notice it was vibrating Idk.. her poor dad what a dear sweet man..

    The senior actor was into ballet in "Navillera" and in ep. 15 he's clutching flyers for senior ballroom dancing LoL. He must really love dancing. I lost my mom to dementia as well so seeing Bu Jung's dad deteriorate like that made me hurt so much...

    Poor guy he was suicidal when he was a younger single parent but lived on for Bu Jung's sake.. I hope she can get through this he was her only family. It was sweet of that gentleman at the lottery place to let him stay for shelter. 

    I think Jung Soo might let Bu Jung go. He spends most of his time with his ex anyways. Both him and Bu Jung are like strangers. His mom LoL aish. 

    Can't believe it's the finale already, where did the time go LoL? Will need to mentally prepare myself before I watch the finale LoL. It kind of looks like Jong Hoon crushes on Ah Ran ew LoL. Well they are both birds of a feather.

 

[backstreetboysfan]

Well I

Spoiler

Believe the ending is hopeful, (I think they would end up together) That is how I took it.

 

[LeftCoastOppa]

Remembering the night they shared together, is what lead them back to each other    The lights went down, and they were still just staring at each other - That is an ending I'll take happily

 

The other big surprise was Just and Min-Jung genuinely getting together - All that worrying for nothing, and in this case, I'm more than happy to be wrong.

 

Despite the pervasive melancholy throughout, I truly enjoyed this drama.

 

[Latte_Anyday]

(sigh) Managed to watch the finale.. what a masterpiece. Everyone in the cast did such a great job.

    I was moved that Bu Jung's mother-in-law was present throughout her father's final moments. 

    Jung Soo really did care for Bu Jung but too little, too late I suppose. And Min Jung magically has feelings for Soon Joo all a sudden LoL. His sis relationship with the divorced guy was another strange one.

    I guess in Bu Jung's dad's words, it's not what you become but what you do. I think LoL? Anyways I am happy for Bu Jung/Gang Jae (the way he kept changing his drink order ha-ha) that they will continue to live on and thrive in their lives, and well hopefully love one another. Bye everyone, it was fun while it lasted. Take care now, God Bless.

[tulip06]

So BuJeong and GangJae can’t resist each other? Hmm.

 

But her marriage is not over, it’s not an easy tie to break. Frankly, watching her and Jeongsu, my thought was, they just need to make an effort and have sex.

[larus]

Human Disqualification: Episode 15

by quirkycase

 

Each half of our married couple separately pursues happiness, but it doesn’t come without guilt. Our leads contemplate reality versus illusion as their time together is cut short by a crisis. When our ex-writer is called away by family obligations, our stand-in finds himself left on the outside.

 

EPISODE 15: “Period”

 

\

 

Kang-jae confides in his father that he still struggles not to equate money with love, but he has started thinking about what love truly is. What it is to be on the giving end rather than the receiving end of love, and what it means to make space for someone else in your heart.

He thinks about the pain of eventually being filled only with that person. Even though he tries to go it alone, he can’t. “What can I do for that person?” he thinks as he sees Bu-jung arrive. “Who can I be for that person?” Maybe the love he has to give is merely being himself.

 

Kang-jae throws his arms around Bu-jung in the street and then takes her by the hand. He kisses her in the alley, and she readily kisses him back. Kang-jae then hugs her again and says he missed her.

 

 

Elsewhere, Jung-soo and Kyung-eun sit in their motel room. She leans her head on his shoulder and reminisces about how she used to pretend to be asleep so she could lean on him longer. Kyung-eun admits she wanted to torment him a bit, to make him upset because of her. Jung-soo knows.

She wonders what others would think of them, but Jung-soo argues it doesn’t matter. “As long as you’re comfortable.” Kyung-eun begins to cry and says she has a feeling today will be the first and last time.

After seeing Jung-soo and Kyung-eun at the noraebang, Woo-nam is sure they’re having an affair. Soon-kyu halfheartedly argues they could be friends, but Woo-nam reminds her they headed toward a motel. Woo-nam doesn’t answer when Soon-kyu asks indirectly if seeing stuff like that reminds him of the Ji-yeon situation.

more https://www.dramabeans.com/2021/10/human-disqualification-episode-15/

 

 

 

[Fata Morgana]

14 hours ago, tulip06 said:

But her marriage is not over, it’s not an easy tie to break

Her marriage is over. It's evident, as she doesn't have the wedding ring on her finger in the last scenes. 

[Sleepy Owl]

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@partyon @agenth @confusedheart @Sleepy Owl

 

[maribella]

Congratulations everyone for watching to the end of this complicated show, although twisted is closer to what I think.  But then I only had enough energy to read the recaps mostly. A few episodes were all my brain and heart could handle. People living desperate lives.  

Happy to see most seem to end up with people whom they want to be with. No practical considerations at the end? He is going to continue his service job? She's going to continue writing for someone? I cannot get over that age gap. Must ignore it, must ignore it. 

[chickfactor]

Honestly, that was good. Unique.

 

The show had a rarefied mood that they maintained consistently throughout. It was like a French New Wave movie. (Haha, I always say that whenever a K-drama doesn't feel cliche. "It's like a French movie!") Despite that, it ended in a typical K-drama way, with all the couples who are supposed to be together ending up together. And it genuinely felt heartwarming and well-earned.

 

I'm glad to hear that A-ran got out of that hellish marriage, but I truly hated her when she watched Bu-Jeong get choked by her husband and did nothing to help, and ran away instead. If anything, that's the betrayal that mentally broke Bu-Jeong, realizing that she is not valued at all by the person she was working for.

 

It's too bad that we didn't hear any more about how Jin-Seop get ruined, but maybe if A-ran will tell the truth about what an abusive p.o.s. he is, he will finally receive some consequences. And although I *hate* A-ran, this actress is great at giving that Raging B energy. So I hope she focuses that on taking down that monster husband of hers. And here's to hoping that she hops into bed with that... Jong-Seo? I can't even remember his name. But yeah, they had gross chemistry together, so that's gonna happen.

 

I loved it when Wu-Nam told Sun-Gyu that he was moving out, and the way that he said it was so cute. Yes, stop taking her for granted and love her properly! Good boy.

 

I cried during Bu-Jeong's final conversation with her father. That was so beautiful. I loved his final message to his daughter - what matters in life is what you DO, not what you BECOME, and that it was conveyed to her through his actions rather than words. She was depressed that she didn't "become" anything. That the life she worked so hard for felt meaningless when confronted with a pair of selfish monsters who lived their lives mired in dung and thought nothing about trampling on others. But she made it to the other side of that dark tunnel.

 

The show was called "Human Disqualification," but it felt very... human. It felt like the characters were thinking and feeling all their feelings constantly as they lived. It wasn't about sensational storylines, but sensitive, broken people just trying to find ways to breathe and feel whole. And they found each other. It was lovely.